Nick Saban Voices Bold Opinion About Oregon Ducks' First-Round Opponent

Plenty of college football fans and analysts have voiced their disagreement with the inclusion of teams like James Madison University and Tulane in the College Football Playoff (CFP). Former coach turned ESPN analyst Nick Saban was the latest to express his opinion about the Oregon Ducks’ first-round opponent.

Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and spoke about why he doesn’t think programs such as Notre Dame and BYU should be excluded for JMU and Tulane.

oregon ducks nick saban dan lanning james madison bob chesney tosh lupoi college football playoff tulane green wave — Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban discusses the Texas Tech football game vs. BYU on College GameDay, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nick Saban Provides Harsh Comparison to JMU

The Dukes won the Sun Belt and went 12-1 to secure the No. 12 seed over 10-2 Notre Dame.

“Would we allow the winner of the Triple-A baseball league, the international league, whatever they call it. I don’t even know the name of it,” Saban said. “Would you let them in the World Series playoff? That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets into the College Football Playoff, and Notre Dame doesn’t.”

While notable teams like the Fighting Irish missed out on the CFP, some fans have pointed out that the Miami Hurricanes made it with two losses to unranked opponents, and Saban’s former team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, made it with three losses.

JMU head coach Bob Chesney – who will take over as the coach of the UCLA Bruins at the conclusion of the postseason – advocated for why the inclusion of non-Power Four teams is good for college football.

“I think it'd be really hard to look a group like us in the eye and say that you're not deserving of this after all the work and things they've done,” Chesney said. “We can't control our schedule. We can only control what we do on game day, and I think we handle their business properly.”

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Oregon Ducks Voice Their Respect for JMU

Members of the Oregon coaching staff have given the Dukes their flowers throughout the week leading up to the game.

“Wayne Knight is an NFL player running back,” defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said. “He could play at any conference, at any team, I promise you that. And the quarterback's the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year for a reason.”

The Ducks are trying not to overlook their opponent despite what the outside noise is calling a drop-off in play between conferences. Lupoi’s comments are backed up by the fact that former JMU coach Curt Cigentti brought several players with him to Indiana. Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is an example of a player who showed that he could make the same type of impact for the Big Ten Conference Champions as he did with the Dukes.

“This team wouldn’t be here if they didn’t play well all season, and they beat the teams that have,” coach Dan Lanning said. “You’d say on paper, ‘Okay, this team has talent that can out-prepare this team.’ That’s not the case with these guys.”

“These guys have handled those moments this year and been able to perform really well,” he continued. “So, I watch the film, and I see a really good team that's explosive, that has ability to create plays, but it’s really ultimately for our team still going to be about us and our ability to execute.”